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Fing-Wu
Population: 823,400 (90% Humans, 5% Halflings, 5% Various Others) Government: Autocracy Religions: The Celestial Bureaucracy Imports: Exports: Rice, Porcelain, Silk, Tea Alignment: All Life and Society Fing-Wu is one of the Shou Imperium’s cultural centers. Various centers of culture can be found in Fing-Wu. As a result, residents of Fing-Wu tend to be somewhat snobbish towards other residents of the Shou Empire, and especially of westerners. They see those from the Red Plains as bandits, those from points west of the Wall of the Shou as barbarians, those from smaller towns and villages within the empire as backwards country bumpkins, and even those from other major cities within the empire as inherently ‘wrong’ in some way, for not being from Fing-Wu. Institutions of learning and culture are abound in Fing-Wu. Dojos teaching various styles of various martial arts, especially Jut-su, can be found throughout the city. The much renowned Imperial Library is located in the city. The world-famous Imperial Opera House is also located in Fing-Wu. Some see the special sense of community and pride that the residents of Fing-Wu have as something of a reaction to the fact that, because of it’s location, is the primary stop for traders coming to and leaving the Shou Empire, through the Wall of the Shou. Fing-Wu has the largest population of foreigners of all of the major cities in the empire. Shou is simply one of many languages that can be heard being spoken at any given time, in the many marketplaces that the city has. Fing-Wu operates with a mostly service-driven economy. While, in the past, Fing-Wu was once a small, sleepy farming village, it has grown exponentially since then, to the point where most farming land has since been built over. Major Organizations Voice of the Altathair Bardic Troupe Major Geographical Features Fing-Wu is the second largest city in the Shou Empire, both in terms of population and acreage. The Foreigner’s Quarter makes up roughly 1/3 of the city’s size, and because of what it represents, sticks out like a sore thumb. The rest of the city, however, is more in line with the traditional Shou mores. The city is located in the Qu’an Province. The governor of the province, Governor Song Chu Wenchou, has his offices located in the city. Ironically, the Lord-Mayor of Fing-Wu, Zhou Jin-Chai, has his offices in the same building complex. Like much of the Shou heartland, Fing-Wu experiences mild winters, and summers than can reach very high temperatures. Because of its relative proximity to the coast of the Sea of Stars, like the city of Shen Yang, Fing-Wu is generally cooler. It receives, on average, 30 inches of rainfall each year, which was why the area was first settled, being as that the original residents were farmers. Fing-Wu is criss-crossed with cobblestone roads, in a rough grid pattern, much like Sheng Long. Unlike Sheng Long, however, there is no clear “center” of the city. The Foreigner’s Quarter developed roughly in the city’s southwest, but other than that, there was no special blueprints used to map out the city. Important Sites Foreigner’s Quarter Imperial Library Imperial Opera House Budokai Arena The School of War Regional History Fing-Wu was once a small, sleepy village that had little cultural significance. The village would receive a major shot in the arm in the year 540, when Emperor Pao Ting rescinded the imperial decree issued by his predecessor, Emperor Kang II, that exiled all Shou residents who had traveled to the west of the Wall of the Shou, and that banned westerners from stepping foot in the empire. The Gate of Illustrious Commerce was built through the wall, and by the end of the year trade began trickling in. The large influx of trade and traders caused the people of Fing-Wu to become somewhat hostile towards them. Shou suspicion of the corruption by foreigners had been a staple of what was believed up until that point, so the villagers of the rapidly growing Fing-Wu were none too pleased that foreigners walked the same streets that they did, unconsciously diluting and weakening their Shou heritage. Emperor Wu Jin-Wen recognized the growing discontent, and was determined to solve the problem in a peaceful manner, having been haunted by the violence committed by his father, the troubled Emperor Min Jin-Wen. Emperor Wu Jin-Wen believed that the best way to assuage their fears of losing their cultural identity was to form various institutions reinforcing that cultural identity. In the year 654, various cultural heritage sites were built within Fing-Wu, including the famous Imperial Library and Imperial Opera House. The people of Fing-Wu took to the idea immediately. In 995, Fing-Wu was the host of the first Budokai Martial Arts Tournament. Shou Lee III declared that a grand martial arts tournament was to be held in celebration for the millennial anniversary of the Shou Imperium. Warriors and representatives from various towns, cities and schools arrived to take part in the festivities. After the competition had ended, Shou Lee III was so impressed with the turnout and success of the event that he had a permanent stadium built, and declared that the Budokai Martial Arts Tournament would be a continuing event, taking place in Fing-Wu every ten years. The most notable event to happen within the city was the siege of the Imperial Opera House in the year 1,094. During a musical concert in which the Emperor Kang Il-Chien was attending, a group of separatist rebels from the Red Plains were able to infiltrate into the opera house and lay siege to it. They hoped to capture the Emperor, but he was able to escape. For ten days, the separatists held hundreds of people captive in the opera house, before an elite contingent of soldiers from the Imperial Army of the Shou Empire was able to launch a rescue mission, killing all of the separatists. When the body count was counted, three hundred people were dead, and a great deal of damage was done to the Imperial Opera House. It was closed for renovations and repair, but reopened two years later.